An Everest season like no other

This year's season, which ended this week and was marked by coronavirus, cyclones and misinformation, was the most challenging of his career.

Lakpa Sherpa has climbed Everest seven times. But he says this year's season, which ended this week and was marked by coronavirus, cyclones and misinformation, was the most challenging of his career. The pandemic forced a complete shutdown of Nepal's mountaineering industry in 2020, dealing a harsh blow to the tiny Himalayan country's tourism-dependent economy. Then this spring, the allure of the highest peak in the world brought climbers rushing back.